Brief Abstract. The Pilot Project Core of the proposed Center aims to support novel pilot projects that offer considerable promise to have a large impact on the field, as part of the Center's activities to support the development and evaluation of cutting-edge applications of technology to the treatment of substance use disorders and related issues. This Core plans to support an average of 3-4 pilot projects per year to fund the development of a pipeline of new areas of research that could then progress to more rigorous empirical testing via external funding mechanisms after the pilot phase. Pilot projects which offer considerable promise for forwarding the Aims of the Scientific Core and/or Dissemination and Implementation Core of the Center will be prioritized, with particular emphasis on cutting-edge, novel studies that offer great potential to have a transformative impact on the field. Pilot funds will be made available on a competitive basis to support pilot projects by Investigators affiliated with CTH, and particularly new investigators, investigators in other research disciplines with expertise that may be applied to substance abuse research (e.g., technologists) and investigators who propose cutting edge, novel and potentially transformative research ideas. Thus, Core CTH Investigators are eligible for pilot funding, as are post-doctoral fellows within our Behavioral Science Training (BST) program, trainees under the mentorship of our Center collaborators from other Centers/Institutes at our parent organization (NDRI), trainees under the mentorship of CTH Directors and Deputy Directors (including those at other institutions, such as Dr. Nunes' and Dr. Polsky's institutions), as well as trainees under the mentorship of members of our Scientific and Dissemination & Implementation Advisory Boards. The Director's Office will advise recipients of pilot project funds on optimal next steps in seeking extramural funding to support a line of research that appears promising based on pilot study results. Pilot work supported by the Pilot Project Core will in itself greatly increase the rate of achievement of the proposed Center and will additionally enhance the quality and contribution of subsequent larger scale research investigations that are built on knowledge gleaned from pilot work.